When the truck makes a delivery at the nearby True Value hardware store, Danny needs to figure out which shelf to put it on.

Should the extension cords go next to the hoses? After all, they both do the same thing, one with electricity and one with water…

The purpose of putting things in order is so that others can find them.

If you’ve been frustrated with a price list, a menu, a user interface or a bookshelf, it’s because someone didn’t spend the time to understand the expected taxonomy.

When we sort our stuff, we’re telling people a story. A story about our stuff and a story about how we see the world.

We don’t have to like the fact that the world demands a taxonomy, but we can accept that it does. Strangers want to know what shelf to put us on.